Jin and the saints continued their journey for six days, with about seventeen days remaining to reach their destination, Lokaria. Throughout this period, Jin felt immense boredom.
All they did was exchange trivial conversations about food, farming, or the continent itself, then camp at night to wake up the next morning and continue their journey.
Jin's sleep was never comfortable; he woke up every morning in pain from his back as usual due to sleeping daily on rocks and stones, then went with Park to gather firewood for the night camp.
The caravan driver also helped with this, but he was extremely mysterious and never spoke to anyone during the six days, to the point that Jin thought he might be mute.
The driver's role was just to lead the caravan while Jin was considered the caravan cook to some extent because he was the only one who could cook well. Park gathered firewood and was responsible for preparing the camp in general.
As for Lamar, she was completely useless and never participated even once in the preparations for camping, gathering firewood, or cooking.
Jin also noticed something very strange about Lamar. Every night she would leave the campsite and disappear, returning the next morning covered in sweat and the blood of chaos creatures.
Although Jin was certain she never slept, she showed no signs of fatigue, exhaustion, or boredom; she was eerily emotionless.
He tried to ask Park about her, but Park avoided the topic, saying, "Well, it's better if you don't know anything about her."
Her mysterious and cold demeanor made Jin uncomfortable having her with him in the same carriage during this trip.
On the seventh night, some chaos creatures appeared before them, but Lamar dealt with them easily by herself. At first, Jin was afraid of the chaos creatures, but by the ninth night, his fear had completely vanished.
On the eighth night, suspiciously, Park and Lamar went off alone for several hours, leaving Jin and the driver alone. The driver simply sat with his eyes closed next to the campfire, while Jin felt uneasy due to the saints' absence.
After several more hours, the saints returned, covered in the blood of chaos creatures.
Jin wanted to ask them what had happened but stopped quickly when the driver shook his head as if to tell Jin not to ask them anything.
This was the first time Jin saw the driver show any reaction.
On the ninth morning, Jin woke up early, with Park shaking his shoulder.
"Wake up, boy. We'll be moving early today," Park said as he carried the camping equipment.
The driver was already preparing for the journey, and for the first time since the beginning of the trip, Lamar was also helping.
"What's going on? Why are we leaving early?" Jin asked, his face full of curiosity.
Park replied, "Hmm, how should I put this? Let's just say there's an annoying creature that will be difficult for us to deal with without losing our carriage."
Jin's expression changed to one of panic. "What kind of creature is it, for heaven's sake?"
Lamar answered, "It's better for you to stop asking questions; we don't have much time."
Jin cursed her silently, then sat at the front of the caravan as they started moving.
While Jin was sitting at the front, the driver spoke for the first time. His voice was incredibly soft and beautiful.
Looking ahead, he said, "Don't worry; they are right."
"Do you know anything about the creature they're talking about?"
There was silence for a while, then the driver replied, "No one knows."
Jin was disturbed. "Huh?"
Park sat next to Jin and said, "It's a creature we don't know anything about, so it's better to move before we find out."
Jin asked, "So how do you know it's here?"
Park answered, "We naturally sense the presence of chaos creatures, and we sensed this particular creature because we have encountered it before."
"You just said no one knows about it. How did you encounter it then?"
"Haha, well, we don't know about it because we've never seen it, but it destroyed one of our carriages before."
Park's answer raised many questions in Jin's mind.
Jin wondered, "Is it normal for the Awakened to sense chaos creatures? Then what's the use of the foresight power I got from the Amon will? Do they all have the Amon power too?"
"Wait, why can the driver sense this creature? Is he one of the Awakened!"
Jin asked the driver, "Are you Awakened, sir?"
Park smiled and answered for him, "Yes, he's Awakened and a great friend too."
The driver said nothing and remained silent for the rest of the journey.
On the tenth and eleventh nights, there was nothing interesting, but Jin was filled with thoughts during those nights.
On the morning of the twelfth day, Jin decided to stop thinking and start training a bit, so he wanted Park to join him for sword training. However, Park declined, saying:
"It would be really nice to train with you, but I don't think you can train with either of us."
Jin asked, "Why not?"
Park replied with a gentle smile, "Well, because you'll die if you train with either of us."
Jin was annoyed and said, "I don't think your training would be as hard as that of that bastard Morgan."
Park laughed, "Well, it's not that our training is difficult, but your body wouldn't withstand it if your sword clashed with ours."
Jin was surprised, "How so?"
Lamar, while tending to her nails, answered, "Because we have a curse."
Jin asked, "What's that curse?"
Park replied, "It's hard to explain, so I think you'll find a suitable explanation when you start your lessons at the academy."
"Can I at least learn how you got that curse?"
Park answered, "From a chaos creature..."
Jin nodded, "Alright, I understand," and then returned to continue his training alone.
Their journey continued as usual from the fifteenth to the eighteenth day without incidents.
However, on the nineteenth day, a minor change occurred.
They encountered a caravan full of Awakened and guards traveling in the opposite direction. They exchanged greetings and conversation with Park and Lamar.
Jin also listened to their conversation.
"It was a really great night," one of the Awakened said proudly.
"Hahaha, so, were you able to close that portal ?" Park asked one of the Awakened.
They replied, "Yes, Saint Leonard handled it alone."
When Leonard's name was mentioned, Jin noticed that Lamar seemed somewhat interested.
"That's expected of him," Park responded with a smile that seemed completely fake.
A soldier asked, "So, Sir Park, who is this boy?" pointing at Jin.
Park answered, "Oh, he's a new student at Lucaria."
The officer smiled widely and extended his hand to shake Jin's. "That's really great. I hope you enjoy it there."
Jin shook his hand and smiled back. "Thank you, and I'll make sure I do."
After a few minutes of conversation that Jin didn't understand, everyone departed and bid each other farewell.
Jin and the saints returned to the carriage where Jin asked, "Hey, Park, who is Leonard?"
Park smiled a little, "I think you're a good listener, boy."
"Hehe, kind of. So who is Leonard again?"
Park scratched his head and said, "He's Lamar's brother."
Jin was surprised. "Really? Is he stronger than her?"
Park looked up at the sky and answered, "He's the leader of our team, so yes, he's much stronger than us."
Jin sighed. "Now I understand why Lamar seems so terrifying; she must be like her brother."
Park replied with a slightly serious expression, "He's completely different and more terrifying than her. Here's some advice: try not to meet him."
Jin asked, "Why?"
Park laughed, "Why would you want to see a terrifying person?"
Jin sighed. "Oh, yes, you're right."
From the twentieth to the twenty-second day, they passed through many villages that were vibrant and crowded, so much so that Jin thought they were in Lucaria.
He asked, "Is this Lucaria?"
Park answered, "No, these are the villages surrounding the city."
Jin was amazed. "Wow, these villages look so rich."
Park smiled. "Yes, Lucaria is a city where only the wealthy live."
Jin sighed. "Damn those rich people living in happiness."
Park laughed. "Well, I'm one of those rich people."
Jin looked at him. "How can you be rich without a single guard or a palace?"
Park answered, puzzled, "Why would I need a guard? I'm already strong. And who says I don't have a palace? I actually have a big one."
Jin sighed. "You're so lucky."
Lamar sighed. "You'll be rich someday if you achieve great things after graduating from Lucaria."
Jin looked up at the sky and thought to himself, "So why were my parents so poor?"
On the twenty-third day, they finally arrived at Lucaria, and it was an amazing city, leaving Jin speechless...